MH Reform Delayed Two Months Affects the Private Companies,not the Individual Professional Providers (Unless They Are Employed by the Private Company)

".....For months, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services stressed that only agencies certified as CABHA would provide services in five key categories as of today. Those that did not qualify, or chose not to, would have their clients involuntarily transferred to other agencies.

The categories are: case management; peer support for recovery initiatives; community support teams for adults; intensive in-home treatment for children; and day treatment for children and adults dealing with issues such as substance or sexual abuse....

"I find it amazing how the state does business and changes the rules on a dime," said Judy Briggs, the chief executive of Carolina Behavioral Health Alliance and a local mental-health advocate. "I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for providers. You will never accomplish efficiencies when the rules constantly change."'_____________________________________________________________My comment:

"Let's be clear: the 'sickest' (SPMI: Severe Persistent Mental Illness) clients are still being seen by well qualified professionals IF they have Medicare/ Medicaid/ 3rd party insurance. I bill directly to Medicare/Medicaid/ 3rd party and am always paid. I'm not going broke. However, I provide therapy services not the four services which are being covered here and which is concerned w/ the private companies which cranked up when NC mental health reform began almost 10 yrs ago now. This being said, w/ the collapse of Community Support Services, my therapy gets done, not uncommonly, while I drive the client around to get things done that CSS used to do. So, the state can pay the psychologist the fatter rate to take care of issues or pay attention to the very real needs of the clients---MANY which are associated w/ transportation issues. One of the PURPOSES of NC Mental Health Reform was to provide mental health services to those WITHOUT insurance and THAT is the service is long gone and is breaking NC Medicaid as people move onto the Medicaid roster. Marsha V. Hammond, PhD"__________________________________________________________So, NC Mental Health Reform, at a meta level, if you will, had, as an agenda to 'unify' mental health services but alas, the only providers who are not sucking wind and wince everytime NC DHHS takes another sharp turn on the road and runs into a ditch-----are the solo providers.

You can't work for an organization and stay alive vis a vis this NC DHHS.